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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28535097">Turquoise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gutterandthestars/pseuds/gutterandthestars'>gutterandthestars</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Twelvetide 2020/2021 [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani and Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Acting Like a Married Couple, M/M, Nile Freeman-centric, Technically Croatia is on the Adriatic Not the Med but Its All The Same Sea Sort Of, The Sea Is Scary At Night</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:07:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>610</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28535097</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gutterandthestars/pseuds/gutterandthestars</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Twelvetide Drabbles Challenge 2020/2021, for the prompt 'turquoise' for 4th January 2021 (a bit early).</p><p>***</p><p>The first time Nile sees the Mediterranean, it’s technically too dark to see much.</p><p>***</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Twelvetide 2020/2021 [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095605</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Twelvetide Drabbles 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Turquoise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="Body">
  <span>The first time Nile sees the Mediterranean, it’s technically too dark to see much. The four of them fly into Pula, Croatia, at night and Andy decides she’s perfectly fine to drive, so they bundle into a cheap rental car and set out towards the coast. Nicky and Joe are on the back seat sharing a set of ear-buds, and Andy’s focused on the road, so Nile stares out of the passenger window at the approaching sea.</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>It’s a short drive to some sheltered inlet with a boathouse and a jetty, where the magic of Copley has a motorboat prepared, and a local man ready to hand over the keys. It seems crazy to venture out at night, but nothing Nile has seen of Andy points at not-crazy, so she keeps her reservations to herself and they head out across the water. She tries not to think about ferries, and container ships, and drowning in the dark. </span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>Nicky, pressed close to her side where they’re huddled in lifejackets on one of the benches, must feel her shudder, because he wraps an arm around her shoulders and squeezes. Joe slides across to her other side.</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“We’re not far,” he says, raising his voice over the growl of the motor and the slap-slap-slap of the waved. “We know where we’re going. We have an island some way down the coast, and even Andy has the sense to use GPS when it’s available, so there’s every chance we will actually arrive there on our first try.”</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>Nile giggles, and feels Nicky tighten his grip around her shoulder again. Joe takes her hand. </span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“Let me tell you what you’d be seeing if it were daylight,” he says. She feels Nicky take a deep breath and sigh it out as if resigned, and wonders if this means they’re in for a Speech, but he doesn’t interrupt. Joe continues. “The sea glows like the finest turquoise, and it’s clear like glass all the way to the bottom…”</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“It isn’t Joe,” argues Nicky.</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“Hush, it can be,” says Joe. “There are so many dolphins, and they follow the boats. The fishing is excellent, and you can find mussels the size of your fist. They are delicious, and if you want something truly special I can dare Nicky to prepare us sea urchin…”</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“Yes, my heart,” corrects Joe.</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“Nile,” says Nicky. “Don’t eat sea urchin. It is not worth it, even for a dare. Even if you lose a bet. Learn from Joe’s mistakes.”</span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>They carry on like that, bickering gently, trading gentle stories of their past, arguing over where and when such-and-such a thing actually happened, and which of them came off the worst after the Sea Urchin Incident – <em>“It’s a delicacy, Nicolò.” “Nile doesn’t need to see you sick like that, hayati. She deserves better.”</em> – and before long Andy is easing back on the throttle and they’re pulling into a wooden jetty, just as the sun pokes up from over the mountains to the east. </span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“Home sweet home, kid,” says Andy, with a dry smile. </span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>They unload hastily, and Joe bundles them all into a pretty stone house, corrals Andy and Nile up the stairs and shows them the bedrooms, bathrooms and linen closet. </span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>“Sleep. Breakfast in the morning,” says Joe, and Nile hears him clatter back down the stairs followed by the murmur of quiet voices. She tunes out, waves Andy goodnight and, before she goes to flop on the rickety bed, peeks out from the wooden shutters to check out the sunrise over the sea. </span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>Joe’s right. It is turquoise. </span>
</p><p class="Body">
  <span>Nile falls asleep to the sound of seagulls, and doesn’t dream at all.</span>
</p>
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